VoIP phone systems in Pittsburgh and Cleveland

FreePBX support and administration

FreePBX is an open source phone platform, and like any server it needs regular updates. We document each system and keep it patched.

• Takeovers: we audit an existing FreePBX server, record its extensions, routes and trunks, and then support it.
• Changes: new extensions, updated menus, revised ring groups and seasonal hours, handled by a named engineer.
• Troubleshooting: one-way audio, dropped calls, registration failures and trunk problems, traced through the phone, the network and the carrier.
• Migrations: moving from an older phone system or a hosted per-seat service onto a FreePBX server you control.

Why open source suits a business phone system

Hosted phone services usually charge for every seat, every month. With FreePBX the software cost is not a line item from us. You pay for the engineering, the carrier service and the phones, and the system stays yours if you ever change providers.

FreePBX runs on Linux, so it can live on your own hardware or a virtual machine. It can sit on a Proxmox virtualization cluster with the rest of your infrastructure, and we keep it under the same monitoring as everything else.

Voice depends on the network

Users notice a poorly built network on phone calls first. Voice traffic should be kept apart from the rest, with a firewall set up to handle it. Our business network and firewall work covers switching, Wi-Fi and VLANs, and our network security services cover how a phone server is exposed to the internet, which matters for any system that accepts SIP traffic.

Replacing an older phone system

We have worked with ShoreTel phone systems and support offices that still run them. When a system like that reaches end of life, we plan the move to FreePBX: we map the existing extensions, ring groups, and auto attendant, build them on the new system, and port the numbers so customers keep dialing the same ones.

How an engagement works

1. Discovery call. We learn how many people take calls, which numbers you use, and what your current system does and does not do.
2. Written scope. We write down the extensions, menus, queues, phones and carrier arrangements before anything is built.
3. Build and test. We configure the system, port numbers on an agreed date, and test inbound and outbound calls before cutover.
4. Document and support. You receive written documentation, and we support the system on an ongoing basis or as a defined project.

Serving Pittsburgh and Cleveland businesses

Our Pennsylvania offices are in Coraopolis and Beaver Falls. We support businesses across Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, and in the Cleveland area and Northeast Ohio. Configuration and support are remote. On-site phone installation is by appointment in Pennsylvania and arranged around the project in Ohio. See our full list of service areas.

Questions about FreePBX phone systems

Can you take over a FreePBX system someone else built?

Yes. We start with an audit and a review of the documentation, then transfer the credentials and take on support. If the system is poorly documented, we write the missing documentation.

Can we keep our existing phone numbers?

Yes. We port them from your current carrier, after the new system has been tested.

Is the phone system backed up?

It can be. We include the phone server in your backup and disaster recovery plan, so a failed server can be restored.